Hans Joel Christian Moscatel (Volume II): Yesterday, on the eve of the Danish Golf Challenge, the adventures of a tournament held in the land of the most famous children’s author, Hans Christian Andersen, were narrated. Joel Moscatel (-4) continues to live a wonderful tale from which he has no intention of waking up. He has also displayed a fabulous game today at Odense Eventyr Golf Club and gets off to a top ten start in the tournament. The Catalan continues to be sweet, with the arrow pointing up as it is now said.
Moscatel comes from writing his first great story in Seville, just two weeks ago winning the Challenge of Spain. A real best seller in Spanish golf. His first 18 holes today encourage dreaming of a second volume that brings him closer to his aspirations to move up to the first continental division of golf. Moscatel is 25 years old.
The start of the round has not been easy at all. The bad weather and the nerves of the pressure of being the centre of attention have taken their toll. “It’s true that the nerves after the victory have also been there,” the Spaniard humbly acknowledged. Two mistakes in the first three flags put the round uphill.
“Inspiration exists, it just has to find you working,” said Pablo Picasso, or at least it is attributed to him. Joel, like a good artist, has continued to chip away at the nerves and the elements, waiting for the moment to find that inspiration and start to turn the round around.
Inspiration appeared, he grabbed it with both hands and took advantage of it with all his strength. To start with, the mistakes ended, no more bogeys in the thirteen holes he had left ahead. Joel didn’t stop there. He added six birdies in eleven flags that lift him to the seventh place in the tournament. “I’m happy to have turned the situation around,” Joel summarised.
There is still a lot of tournament ahead, but Moscatel starts this book, nerves through, with a looseness and a finesse as if it were Pérez Reverte.
In the afternoon shift alongside Joel, the start of the tournament Javi Sainz (-2) stood out, who in a round similar to the Catalan’s started with a bogey and then accumulated successes without looking back. Up to four birdies have allowed him to climb into the noble area of the table.
This is the ninth tournament of the season for the Basque who is in 73rd place in the annual ranking. Javi’s season is clearly on the rise. He missed four cuts in his first five appearances. From there he has hooked three consecutive cuts, a top ten included. The Biscayan is looking to maintain those good feelings in Denmark and start to stick his head out in the places that give access to the grand final.
Borja Virto (-2) has been one of the best in the middle of the Danish morning downpour. The first shift has been getting more and more complicated due to a permanent and uncomfortable rain that has not stopped falling. If you add some interesting gusts of wind, the situation gets complicated. The Navarrese comes to this tournament with the urgency to start adding quality points that gradually bring him closer to the final of the Road to Mallorca and today’s start adds many points in the confidence backpack.
So far, Borja has only been able to pass three cuts and his best position is a 36th in Abu Dhabi, two tournaments ago. The need is pressing and Virto wants to give a boost to the season on Danish soil. Tomorrow he will have to confirm this good start to take positions for the weekend.
Today, before the downpour became very heavy, Borja had started with great force. Four birdies and a bogey in just six flags lifted him, momentarily, almost to the top of the table. However, the second round began to cross him and three bogeys meant he arrived at hole 17 as he started, at par. There Virto knew how to concentrate and bring out the best in his game in the two holes he had left. An iron shot at 17 and a great putt at 18 put him back in the top 20 of the tournament.
Meanwhile, at the top of the table appear two Icelanders, Haraldur Magnus and Gudmundur Kristjansson (-6). The island, which has only 39 golf courses, has put its two top exponents in the lead of the tournament. If they achieve victory, it would be the first and historic feat they achieve in the Challenge for the small Viking country. Alongside them in the lead is the Norwegian Andreas Halvorsen. It would also be a nice story, although if a Spaniard frustrates it, it wouldn’t matter too much either.
Of the rest of the Armada present in Odense, the good work of Pep Anglés (-1) also stands out in a round with three birdies and two bogeys. It’s his second tournament of the year and he’s in a good position to fight tomorrow to also pass a new cut, after achieving it in Seville.
Outside of this provisional cut are currently Víctor Pastor (+1), Ángel Ayora (+1), Lucas Vacarisas (+3) and Jorge Maicas (+3)
An almost impossible task tomorrow will have Alejandro Aguilera (+8) and Ruben Lafuente Montesa (+8) who will need to fly very low in Odense to give themselves an option.
